Decision makers

Demand Insurance Companies Stop Investing in Fast Food

A new American Journal of Public Health study has revealed that many of America’s largest insurance companies are investing huge sums of money in fast food restaurants. As of last summer, major health and life insurers owned $1.8 billion of stock in giant fast food companies.

Health and life insurance providers should be working to keep people as healthy as possible not investing in fast food chains that contribute to the obesity epidemic and many other severe public health problems.

The biggest investors were Prudential, Massachusetts Mutual and Northwestern Mutual. Send a letter to all three companies --that each invest hundreds of millions of dollars in fast food -- and tell them it’s time to stand up for their customers’ health. Our health and life insurance companies shouldn’t be financing the fast food that’s killing far too many of us.

The American Journal of Public Health just published research showing that your company is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in fast food restaurants. As a provider of insurance you should be looking to help your customers maintain and improve their health and these investments do just the opposite.

Fast food is a major contributor to obesity and related health problems. The overconsumption of fast food is killing far too many Americans and your investments put you in a position where the more fast food people eat the more you’ll gain financially. That simply isn’t an acceptable investment for health or life insurance providers.

I urge you to divest from fast food immediately and instead put your money towards companies that help, rather than harm, our health.